Spinning
by Jack E. Peace
Summary: (Uptown Girls) Ray and her mother go to Coney Island and Ray takes her on the spinning tea cup ride (bad summary)


Disclaimer: None of the characters belong to me.   
  
A/N: Okay, wasn't this movie so cute (and sad) Well, I thought I'd write a little fic about it: here is it, please review and enjoy! Set three weeks after the end of the movie.   
  
Dedicated to my mother, because that's exactly what (who) she is.   
  
Spinning  
  
Molly Gunn smiled as she looked down at her pint-sized, but very mature, eight-year-old friend, who was fidgeting nervously. Lorraine "Ray" Schleine didn't return the smile as she looked over at her mother's closed bedroom door, pursing her lips. "What if something came up...work or something. What if she can't come?" Ray questioned meekly, as though saying the words would cause them to come true.   
  
Molly shook her head, brushing the words away simply. "No, that won't happen, don't worry." She spoke with such authority that Ray felt herself believing her, despite the fact that she wasn't always the most trustworthy of sources.   
  
It was Molly's day off from her position as Ray's nanny but the twenty-two year old had decided to stop by the Schleine house anyway, for she knew that today was a big day for her favorite eight-year-old. Today, Ray and her mother, Roma, were going to go to Coney Island; after two weeks of persuading, the tiny blonde had managed to convince her mother to take the day off to go with her only daughter. Roma hadn't been as hard to convince as Molly would have first thought, probably because the recent death of her husband had made her realize how little she knew about her daughter and that she spent even less time with her.   
  
Despite her words of assurance, Molly inwardly worried that something had come up and force Roma to change their plans. She knew that would break Ray's heart, for the outing was all that she had been talking about for the past five days.   
  
As soon as Molly spoke, Ray attempted to stand still but still stared longingly at the door. It wouldn't be the first time her mother was forced to abandon her plans because of work but she was willing to bet that it might be the first time she felt genuinely bad about it. 'If she cancels them at all,' Ray reminded herself silently, 'got to be optimistic.'   
  
The thoughts had no sooner passed through her mind when the door opened and Roma stepped out, screaming into the cell phone that seemed permanently attached to her ear. She finished scolding her latest addition to the record label and closed her cell phone, glancing down at her daughter with a smile. Ray attempted to brace herself for what was surely the inevitable and was more surprised then she had been in her life when the words out of her mother's mouth weren't what she expected.   
  
"Are you ready to go Ray?" Roma asked, the smile still in place, a real one, not the one used for potential clients and fellow managers.   
  
Instantly, Ray brightened, nodding her head so quickly that Molly was certain that it was going to fall off. She had rarely seen her little friend so happy and mentally thanked Roma profusely for going through with Ray's carefully laid plans. "Well, have fun Ray, you can tell me all about it tomorrow." Molly beamed, waving goodbye to the mother and daughter as the left the house.   
  
On the subway ride, Roma didn't seem as ecstatic as her daughter, because she hadn't been to an amusement park since she was Ray's age. Seeing how excited Ray was made her feel guilty for not having taken her to Coney Island sooner, or not spending any time with her; she couldn't remember the last time she spent more then a few minutes with her daughter, which managed to slightly break her heart. Well, it was time to start making up for those eight missing years, Roma decided with a firm nod of her head. Looking down at Ray's smiling face simply sealed the deal.   
  
* * *   
  
Ray tugged on her mother's hand, dragging her toward the all too familiar hot dog restaurant that lay directly in front of them. Roma protested, but Ray would not be deterred. "Mom, you have to eat a hot dog; Molly said that if you don't eat one they won't let in the park." She had convinced herself that what Molly had said was true and decided to do her best to convince her mother the same thing.   
  
"Ray, Molly was exaggerating; I can get into Coney Island without suffering through one of those horribly processed 'hot dogs.'" Roma knew exactly where Ray got her vegetarian side from but it didn't bother her that she was forcing her daughter into a state of mind. Being a vegetarian was healthier for you anyway, it meant that you didn't have to eat an amusement park "hot dog."   
  
But Ray wouldn't let go of mother's hand, dragging her into the restaurant and even ordering for her at the counter, just to make sure Roma didn't back out. Her daughter watched with eager eyes as Roma picked up the hot dog and slowly took a bite out of it; at first, the taste repulsed her but as it slid down her throat, Roma realized that it wasn't as bad as she had believed it to be. "You know, these aren't half bad." She told her daughter, who beamed at her.   
  
"Great, now we can get into the park for sure." Ray remarked with a grin, urging her mother to hurry and finish her lunch so they could continue their day.   
  
* * *   
  
The first ride Ray insisted upon going on was the spinning teacups. The line was short, so the Schleine women didn't have to wait long before they took their seats in a large purple cup, which reminded Ray of her tea set at home.   
  
The ride started up and Ray began turning the wheel as heard as she could, closing her eyes tightly as the cup began to spin, going faster when her mother helped push the wheel. For a second, she felt terrified, alone, like how she had felt those weeks ago when she had come on the ride by herself, spinning out of control, with no one there beside her.   
  
The ride spun faster and Ray forced herself to open her eyes, to make sure her mother was still sitting across from her, that she wasn't just imaging the whole thing. She let out a long sigh of relief when she saw Roma sitting across from her, a smile of delight on her face as the wind whipped her hair into her face.   
  
Too soon, the ride stopped but Ray stayed exactly where she was sitting, staring at her mother. "Ray? Are you all right?" Roma questioned, concern replacing the gleeful expression on her face.   
  
For a second, her daughter remained silent but after another second she said, "When I first got on this ride, I was alone, scared and I felt like I was spinning out of control. I felt like I couldn't stop, even though I knew I had the power to do so; I even felt that way when Molly was with me. But now..." She paused, locking eyes with her mother, who was staring at her silently. "Now I feel like I can stop."   
  
Roma pursed her lips, feeling tears spring unbidden into her eyes. She slid across to the other side where her daughter sat and gathered her in her arms, holding Ray against her chest. Ray wrapped her arms around her mother, holding on as though she would never let go.   
  
Neither of them noticed when the ride started again, the cups spinning even without their aid. Ray and Roma held onto each other, saying so much even with silence, making up for all the hugs that they had never shared in the past years.   
  
When the ride stopped again, Ray was slightly dizzy, blinking in an attempt to clear the spots and tears from her eyes. Silently, Roma and her daughter slid out of the teacup, walking hand and hand toward the exit.   
  
It was then that Ray realized that the dizziness had passed.   
  
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Okay, I know that was short but I feel if I wrote more it would get rid of the meaning or whatever. So, I hope you liked it, please review. 


End file.
